Padres trade Denorfia to Seattle

Mariners sending minor league outfielder, pitcher to San Diego

The Padres' Chris Denorfia, who just got traded to the Seattle Mariners, shakes hands with pitching coach Darren Balsey while in the dugout before the start of the Padres game against the Cardinals at Petco Park in San Diego on Thursday.
— Hayne Palmour IV

The Padres' Chris Denorfia, who just got traded to the Seattle Mariners, shakes hands with pitching coach Darren Balsey while in the dugout before the start of the Padres game against the Cardinals at Petco Park in San Diego on Thursday.
— Hayne Palmour IV

Denorfia, of course, wouldn’t have factored into those plans without opting to resign with the team that gave him his first multi-year deal in 2012, a two-year, $4.25 extension that expires after this season. He earned it with hard-nosed play in the field and a knack for squaring up left-handed pitching after toiling eight seasons in the Reds’ and Athletics’ organizations, which included missing all of 2007 after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his throwing shoulder.

“I knew where I was coming in here; I was sort of at a crossroads,” said Denorfia, a .301/.367/.443 life-time hitter against left-handed pitching after signing a minor league deal with the Padres ahead of the 2010 season. “Was I going to be a four-A player that had a little bit of time or was I going to make something of myself? I just hit it right here. It was the right time. It was the right team.

“It was the right opportunity.”

Of course, something akin to all of that was what it was going to take to pry Kennedy and Benoit away from an organization already factoring the two into their 2015 plans. The Padres fielded calls on both up against the deadline – including the Dodgers’ “hard” push, according to one source, to slot Benoit ahead of closer Kenley Jansen in their bullpen – only to stand pat.

“Obviously the names that are always popular are the names that are performing the best and Ian and Joaquin have both pitched extremely well and are good major league players and we’re happy to have them on our team,” Hinch said. “A lot of players are asked about this time of year and a lot are rumored about. We made the trades we made and we’re happy.”

Benoit was certainly happy.

The Padres’ 37-year-old closer breathed a bit easier as he headed to the bullpen some 15 minutes after the deadline passed and even easier when the phone didn’t ring when he arrived.